Netflix subs added to inflation basket March 13, 2014 The UK's official statisticians have elected to add "video streaming services" to a basket of goods used to measure inflation. Now items like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video will be included in the consumer price inflation measure, a decision taken as part of the annual review of the CPI basket of goods and services. The [...]
Why today’s results may be as good it gets for Royal Mail May 22, 2014 Shares in the recently-privatised Royal Mail have fallen by six per cent after the company warned it may never reach its targeted profit margin. At first glance Royal Mail's results appear to be encouraging, with reported profit before tax jumping by 83 per cent, to £1.6bn. Net debt is also down a hefty 39 per [...]
Game’s market share boosted by Playstation 4 and Xbox One January 26, 2014 THE LAUNCH of Sony’s latest console, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Microsoft’s Xbox One at the end of last year has helped boost retailer Game’s share of the entertainment market, new research shows. Figures from Kantar Worldpanel released today show that Game claimed eight per cent of the market in the 12 weeks to 22 [...]
Marks & Spencer recruits Silicon Roundabout entrepreneurs for new website May 1, 2014 MARKS & Spencer has been recruiting Silicon roundabout’s finest to help develop its new website and to help lure the 19m customers a year who shop in its stores but do not use its website. The 130 year-old high street retailer broke away from its technology supplier Amazon and launched its own custom-built £150m [...]
Why it’s nimble SMEs that are best-positioned to capitalise on the huge benefits of big data May 28, 2014 BIG CORPORATIONS are best placed to exploit big data, right? They have the resources, and can afford to focus effort on the science of data, and turn that into business advantage. Maybe. But the way the technology environment is moving, maybe not. It’s now been the case for a while that, with a credit card, [...]
How Britain can nurture the next generation of super-entrepreneurs April 27, 2014 THOMAS Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century is setting the bestseller charts alight in a way that economics tomes usually cannot. For those insistent upon the importance of economic equality, it is the most anticipated release since Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson’s The Spirit Level. But is the accumulation of wealth inherently bad? In research [...]
Big Data: Don’t ignore the dark side February 25, 2014 SOFTWARE rules the world. This isn’t just what we say out in Silicon Valley, or a belief that my sector matters most – it’s a simple statement of fact. What’s caused this to happen? In today’s world, data is everywhere and what was once thrown away is now cheaper to store. We generate more electronic [...]
Visa swipes top spot for business brands from Apple February 24, 2014 BRITISH firms have chosen Visa as the best brand for business services, knocking tech firm Apple off the top spot, a poll out today reveals. Visa topped a survey of 2,000 companies and was joined by several other payment companies in the higher reaches of the Superbrands UK league table. Superbrands said the shift in [...]
Privatisation may have come too late to stop the decline of Royal Mail May 20, 2014 Since privatisation Royal Mail has enjoyed a positive settlement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), continued to implement its efficiency plan and has reported trading in line with guidance. However, Royal Mail's recent success is under increasing threat as the UK takes off as one of the most liberal and competitive postal markets in the [...]
Why robots are finally breaking into business – but sadly not our kitchens March 10, 2014 ROBOTICS is now the fastest growing industry in the world, according to a recent report from Littler Mendelson, and could well become one of the largest within a matter of decades. Yet for all the hype, and fears of autonomous machines replacing human jobs, this is a comparatively recent development. The fields of robotics and [...]